Wow! Four events down already and each one was more fun than the last. Everyone’s been into the van and excited to paint it, and we’ve had some fantastic artists make their (temporary) mark. So, let’s recap:

Event #1: Annapolis Arts and Crafts Festival, 6/11/11

This event was so much fun. After a light rain in the morning, we had a gorgeous, if a little hot, day. We had a great location next to a band playing a combination of kid’s songs, contemporary hits, reggae numbers and oldies. Did I mention it was HOT?! Marcus and I borrowed some umbrellas from the neighboring band to beat the heat. His was a perfect fit!

It was great to meet so many families from Annapolis and the rest of Southern Maryland!

Event #2: Columbia Festival of the Arts, 6/12/11

Holy cow, this was an amazing event. My favorite parts: 1) being in the shade of a parking garage, surrounded by artists; 2) the roving marching band that featured Cirque du Soleil type actors on stilts and unicycles; 3) the music! We had so many artistic folks come up and add to the van. Here are a few examples of their work:

I also want to share a few non-van photos. There was a sidewalk chalk competition next to us, and I was completely shocked by what people can do with this medium. Check these out:

This first one was the winner of the competition.

Thanks for the memories, Columbia!

Event #3: Taste of Reston, 6/18/11

This event smelled AMAZING. That might sound like a bizarre way to describe an event, but it’s true. The streets were lined with local eateries selling their signature dishes, and it just smelled great. We were hungry the whole day! And we were right by the carnival, so it was a very exciting day. Everyone was in a carnival mood!

Event #4: SunFest, 6/19/11

This event started with some rain, but after that cleared up, it was fantastic. There was this great parade to kick things off that featured these awesome puppets:

The event was great – a lot of people stopped by to learn about VFC and contribute to the art van.

I did this last one. How pretty are those rainbow letters?

So, next weekend Marcus will be taking the van out to Rootsfest in Baltimore on the 26th and 27th. I won’t be there (summer vacation! Woohoo!), but come out and see him! Then on the 3^rd of July, come see him at the Annapolis First Sunday Arts Festival.

Alright – so Wednesday’s photo shoot went well, let’s see if tomorrow’s kick-off event over at PNC goes just as well. It’s the inaugural van event, and we’re going to be down at Hopkins Plaza just outside of the PNC.

UPDATE-

The kick-off  went off without a hitch. WMAR Channel 2 came out and I met a reporter (Jessica Cottrell from the Baltimore Brew) who took some great pictures of the Art Van Team (Marcus, Cameron and I) in front of the van, along with some of the van being painted. Take a look:

The PNC employees were really enthusiastic and excited to paint the van, and that enthusiasm was catching! It got all of us even more pumped to get started with events. They also gave us a great dry run to see how things would fit together and how many people we would need to take along. Just like PNC was instrumental in making the Art Van happen, its employees were just as essential in fine-tuning the public painting process (try saying THAT three times fast!).

So, the van is THIS close to being done. Only a few touch ups left, but we’re saving them until tonight. The Baltimore Sun is sending out a reporter to shoot a video of the artists finishing the van and learn more about the Art Van project. While we get all of the details hammered out, we’re also waiting for the van to get through a tune up in the shop. I guess we’ll see if all of the pieces come together!

UPDATE –

So, the photo shoot was fantastic! All of the artists turned out, Robin and Danny did a GREAT job of promoting the project and VFC, and I even got to be on camera for a few seconds. Check out the footage here: Using Art to Help Change Lives

And here’s your humble writer with the finished van!

So colorful!!

Holy guacamole! I just stopped by City Arts to see how the van is coming along, and I was greeted with a box of paint markers and instructions to put a car on the side of the van. I had a great conversation with one of the artists about an upcoming show and her experience as an art teacher in a local school while I sketched out and then painted my car.

It’s an homage to my first car, Gertie, a Buick LeSabre Limited. Speaking of Buicks, while I was coming in to work this morning, I spotted a Buick LeSabre Limited (much newer than mine) that had been donated and was having some detail work done before being awarded to a family. I chatted with the mechanics about it and they told me it’s in wonderful shape. I assumed that all of the donated cars must be junkers that might have a year left under the hood – boy was I wrong! A lot of cars that come in are in fantastic condition. I’ve been eyeing a Geo on the retail lot that’s in great shape.

Back to the van, though. It’s really coming together. It looks like it’s done already, but I’ve been assured that it needs more work and will be done by Monday. I’m so excited to get it back to the lot so I can put on the clear coat and preserve this work of art!